Eight Cavaliers Named All-ACC in Football

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Dec. 7, 2004

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Virginia football team is well-represented on the 2004 All-ACC Team as eight Cavaliers have earned conference recognition, the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association announced on Tuesday.

UVa has five players named to the first-team, the most of any school. First-team honorees are sophomore linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Woodbridge, Va.), senior guard Elton Brown (Hampton, Va.), junior tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson (Freeport, N.Y.), junior tight end Heath Miller (Swords, Creek, Va.), and senior tailback Alvin Pearman (Charlotte, N.C.).

Second-team honorees are junior linebacker Darryl Blackstock (Newport News, Va.) and senior center Zac Yarbrough (Winter Park, Fla.). Senior nose tackle Andrew Hoffman (South Riding, Va.) earned Honorable Mention honors.

Brooks is one of the fastest players on the Virginia team. A finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker, he is the team’s leading tackler this fall with 85 tackles. He also leads the Cavaliers with 11 quarterback hurries. The two-year starter is attempting to become the first Cavalier to lead the team in tackling his first two seasons since Charles McDaniel in 1982-83.

Brown, a two-time recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s most outstanding blocker, is a four-year starter. The team captain keys a balanced Cavalier attack that leads the ACC and ranks 12th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 241.3 yards per game. In addition, Virginia leads the ACC and ranks 25th nationally in total offense, averaging 423.6 yards per contest. Named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice this season, Brown has helped the Cavaliers lead the ACC in fewest sacks allowed (15) this season as well as ranking third in scoring offense (29.9).

Ferguson, UVa’s first all-conference tackle in six years, has started every game of his career (38), the longest streak by a UVa left tackle since All-American Jim Dombrowski started a record 45 straight games. He earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Oct. 11 following his play in the win over Clemson.

Miller is one of three finalists for the 2004 John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end. The All-American scored an ACC record 20 touchdowns for a tight end. Miller joins Clemson’s Bennie Cunningham as the only first-team All-America tight ends in ACC history. He leads the team in every receiving category, is ninth in the nation in yards (475) and tied for sixth in touchdowns (5) by a tight end this season. He earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Sept. 20 following his play in the win over Akron.

Pearman is one of the most versatile players in the nation, playing tailback, wide receiver, and special teams for the Cavaliers this fall. He has compiled 1844 all-purpose yards, the fifth-highest in school history and 10th in ACC history. A finalist for the Dudley Award as the most outstanding player in the state of Virginia, he earned ACC Specialist of the Week honors on Sept. 7 following his play in the win over Temple. Pearman was also named ACC Player of the Week by the CollegeSportsReport.com following the win at Duke on Oct. 25.

Blackstock is a dynamic pass rusher who turned up his play during the season’s final month. He leads the Cavaliers with 235 career tackles and leads the ACC 0.95 sacks per game. His 11 sacks lead the nation in sacks by a linebacker, pushing his career sacks to 27, second in ACC history. Blackstock was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week on Nov. 22 following his play in the win at Georgia Tech.

Yarbrough is one of the team’s most unheralded players. The three-year starter has played all but 20 snaps this fall. Virginia leads the ACC and ranks 25th nationally in total offense, averaging 423.6 yards per contest. Yarbrough has helped the Cavaliers lead the ACC in fewest sacks allowed (15) this season as well as ranking third in scoring offense (29.9). A semifinalist for the Rimington Award as the nation’s top center, he earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Nov. 8 following his play in the win over Maryland.

Hoffman averages a career-high 4.4 tackles per game this season and ranks second among ACC nose/defensive tackle in tackling. The nose tackle has started every game. Hoffman stands second on the team with 11 tackles for loss and third with five sacks. He recorded the first multi-sack game of his career in the final game of the regular season against Virginia Tech.

Virginia travels to Boise, Idaho, to face Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl on Dec. 27.